As far as topics go, politics may be as divisive as they come. Still, there's no escaping the role that it plays in our lives. The texts in this collection explore the gamut of how politics shapes and reshapes societies throughout history.
Publication year 2004
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags History: U.S., American Revolution, Colonial America, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government
Published in 2004, Cokie Roberts’s Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation is a non-fiction, historical study of the role women played in establishing the United States as an independent nation. This study guide refers to the first edition of the text, published by William Morrow-HarperCollins in 2004. In her introduction, Roberts recalls her childhood delight at hearing tales of her ancestor William Claiborne, who met the Founding Fathers. However, she recognizes that she... Read Founding Mothers Summary
Publication year 1941
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government
Publication year 2021
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, African American Literature, American Civil War, History: World, Politics / Government
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Politics / Government, History: World, WWI / World War I
Publication year 2005
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Class, Society: Economics
Tags Business / Economics, Sociology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology, Politics / Government
Rarely does a book about economics attract a large audience, but Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything sold 4 million copies after its 2005 debut. The book, by University of Chicago professor Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner, explains how incentives—the reasons why people do things—can cause unusual and unexpected effects in many areas of life.Praised and reviled for its outside-the-box approach—the work was condemned for suggesting that liberalized abortion laws... Read Freakonomics Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Politics / Government, American Civil War, Reconstruction Era, Military / War, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government
Publication year 2015
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism
Tags Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World
Publication year 1980
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics
Tags Business / Economics, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government
Free to Choose is a nonfiction book first published in 1980 and written by Milton and Rose Friedman. The text advocates for free market principles and was made into a ten-part television series. Free to Choose attempts to answer questions including: Why do government programs so often fail to reach their goals? Why do children do worse at school while taxpayers pay more and more to support their education? Why must we fill out a... Read Free To Choose Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Crime / Legal, Politics / Government, Finance / Money / Wealth, Journalism, Social Justice, Russian Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Business / Economics, History: World, Biography
Publication year 2013
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Immigration, Natural World: Food, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Anthropology, Social Justice, Sociology, Health / Medicine, Education, Education, Anthropology, Food, Politics / Government
Publication year 1989
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Jewish Literature, Military / War, Journalism, History: World, Travel Literature, Politics / Government
From Beirut to Jerusalem is a 1989 book by the American journalist Thomas Friedman. It chronicles the years he spent as a journalist in the two cities of the book’s name, during a remarkably tumultuous period in that region’s politics. It is part personal memoir, part analysis (leaning on the advice of many of his expert friends, such as Fouad Ajami), part collection of anecdotes ranging from the funny to the heartbreaking to the absurd... Read From Beirut to Jerusalem Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, History: U.S., Business / Economics, Diversity, Class, Education, Finance / Money / Wealth, Poverty, Politics / Government, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Sociology, History: World
Publication year 2012
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment
Tags Journalism, Politics / Government, Science / Nature, History: World, Health / Medicine, Biography
Full Body Burden: Growing up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats is a 2012 nonfiction account by Kristen Iversen. Half memoir, half investigative journalism, the book covers Iversen’s life in a town near Denver, Colorado, as well as Rocky Flats—the nearby nuclear production facility. Quiet, observant, and adventurous, Iversen is the oldest of four children. The family keeps many pets, and Iversen adores horseback riding on their pasture at a new neighborhood near Rocky Flats... Read Full Body Burden Summary
Publication year 1989
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government
Published in 1990, Judith Butler's Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity is a seminal work in feminism and a foundational work in queer theory. This study guide is based on the 2006 Routledge edition of Butler’s text. Butler's primary aims in the work are to make a case for rejecting an essential female identity as the basis for feminist practice and to come up with an account of gender formation without recourse to... Read Gender Trouble Summary
Publication year 1796
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government
Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government, American Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1981
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Language
Tags Business / Economics, Psychology, Self Help, Leadership/Organization/Management, Relationships, Politics / Government, Psychology
Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (1981) is a business and self-help book by Roger Fisher and William Ury. It teaches a principled method of settling disputes so that both sides win. Revised in 1991 and 2011, the book has sold 15 million copies in 35 languages, spent several years on the BusinessWeek bestseller list, and is one of the most commonly cited works on lists of the best negotiation books. Authors Fisher... Read Getting to Yes Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Journalism, Race / Racism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government
Ghettoside, written by Jill Leovy and published in 2015, follows the investigation of and trial for the murder of Bryant Tennelle, the son of a Los Angeles homicide detective, through the late 2000s. In doing so, the author examines the critical epidemic of black-on-black violence in communities such as South Central Los Angeles in order to explicate the root causes, systemic issues, and contemporary problems that continue to contribute to higher rates of homicide in... Read Ghettoside Summary
Publication year 1964
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Journalism, Education, Education, History: U.S., Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government
Gideon’s Trumpet, written in 1964, is a book that details a landmark court case, Gideon v. Wainwright, that came before the Supreme Court of the United States of America in 1963. It tells the story of Clarence Gideon, whose case became the key foundation of the modern interpretation of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments: that criminal defendants have a right to counsel at both the federal and state level even if they cannot afford a... Read Gideon’s Trumpet Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography
Girls Like Us: Fighting For a World Where Girls Are Not For Sale, is a memoir by Rachel Lloyd that challenges how sexually exploited girls are treated and perceived in society. The book was originally published by Harper Perennial in February 2012 to positive reviews from various sources and figures such as Elle, Marie Claire, Demi Moore, Harlem Children’s Zone, and Tony Award-winning playwright and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sarah Jones. Rachel Lloyd, a survivor of... Read Girls Like Us Summary